More than a quarter of a century ago a young Egyptian archaeologist, clearing a site just south of the Great Pyramid at Giza, broke through a massive slab of limestone to reveal a vault beneath his feet. For the first time in 4,500 years the sun’s rays were shining down on the timbers of a great papyriform ship, built for a king and then dismantled and buried here at the height of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. Astonishingly well preserved, it was by far the most ancient vessel ever to come to light.
   Nancy Jenkins is the first to tell the full story of this Royal Ship — its discovery, excavation and reconstruction. She tells also who built it and why, how it has survived intact for so long, and what connection it may have had with the age-old Egyptian myth of the Sun-god, eternally journeying cross the heavens in his Reed Float. But this is also a story of modern Egypt and of one man in particular, Ahmed Youssef Moustafa, Chief Restorer of the Department of Antiquities, who almost single-handedly put back together the 1,223 pieces of .the ship. Working with a giant jigsaw puzzle—though a puzzle without a picture on the box—Ahmed Youssef devoted fourteen years to the immense task of reconstruction.
   The triumphant result is not only an aesthetic masterpiece to rival the Great Pyramid but also a vital source of information about the design and construction of ancient ships and a tribute to one of the greatest periods in the history of civilization.